I didn't follow the Jussie Smollett story closely. My awareness of the story was confined to evolving headlines and Twitter.
Why does the "news" media keep falling for stories like this?
i) The liberal media are bigots, and bigotry is self-reinforcing. They associate with like-minded people. They stereotype Christians, conservatives, and Trump supporters. Men. White men. Straight men. They think they already know everything they need to know about us. We're the enemy. So they instantly believe the worst.
Conversely, they are predisposed to throw their support behind the social mascots du jour. He's black and gay.
ii) They don't learn from their mistakes in part because this was never about reporting what actually happened. That's boring. Instead, liberal journalists wish to be agents of change. They don't care about the facts if the facts get in the way. Their cause is so just that it warrants winning by whatever means necessary. The noble lie. "News" and "fact-checkers" are camouflage for crafting narratives that further their social agenda.
iii) And they don't learn from their mistakes in part because it's a tactic or strategem. Throw everything you've got to up the odds that something will stick. They're prepared to miss 9 times out of 10 so long as they get the occasional hit. They hope it has a cumulative effect. People are more likely to remember the first report than subsequent retractions. That's what sticks in their mind.
Their mistakes would only be mistakes if they were aiming for the truth. But that was never the target. They don't learn from their mistakes because these aren't mistakes. Rather, it's a reflection of their political strategy and tactics. So they will keep on doing it.
Mind you, this does erode what little credibility they have. But that's a risk they're prepared to take because they think short-term rather than long-term. Success builds on success. Winning in the short term empowers the winners, upping the odds of a winning streak.
Well stated. This came at the same time I read wallethub.com/edu do a spread on most sinful cities in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteSo biased media and sinful practices are still recognized, just ignored.
'The liberal media are bigots, and bigotry is self-reinforcing. They associate with like-minded people. They stereotype Christians, conservatives, and Trump supporters. Men. White men. Straight men. They think they already know everything they need to know about us. We're the enemy. So they instantly believe the worst.'
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
1. Isn't it astonishing that we're no longer surprised by the utter hypocrisy of these lunatics who go about accusing *us* of bogotry and closed-mindedness? And all along it was the conservatives who were tolerant of other views and open to dialogue; yet conservatives are (still!) deemed 'bigots' for having the temerity to disagree with leftist dogma. The irony and hypocrisy is breathtaking.
2. We are witnessing a type of collective cognitive (or 'inattentional') blindness, where the left focuses so hard on one (broad) thing (its narrative) that it fails to notice everything else in front of its eyes: the humanity of those with whom it disagrees, the fact that its opponents hold legitimate opposing views that deserve to be engaged rather than instantly demonised, the facts of news stories on which it reports/comments, etc, etc.
3. On (2), this was epitomised with the ludicrous hysteria surrounding the Covington boys. One of the battleaxes on the television programme The View admitted when the truth came out that they (the leftists) are so focused on ousting Trump because they just 'know' he is a terrible human being and needs ousting, so they blindly latch on to any story that might help their cause. This lunatic woman boldy admitted this.
*That's* the state of the left in the West. There is an intellectual and rational vacuum at the very heart of this absurd movement.
Reading this, one word comes to mind. . . Pravda! The whole thing would be funny if it didn't leave such a bad taste in my mouth. Personally, I abhor Trump. From all I know of his business practices since long before he ran as a candidate, I have no doubt the man is a liar, thief & completely repugnant. That said, I can not & will not allay with SJWs against him. Socialism, communism, victim intersection or whatever they call it, all suffers from one glaring problem. Who gets to decide? No matter what basis you claim for identifying the ruling body, the criteria can always (and will always) be redrawn until you have a strong man as a dictator. Then rebellion, revolution & redraw the criteria with a new group. Rinse & repeat. Sometimes I wonder if man's inability to learn from history or mistakes is part of the original sin
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteHave you done, or could you do, an analysis on how local stories are reported as if symptomatic of the country as a whole and its subsequent fruits like virtue signaling on social media?